Bionicle Epics: Book I, A Hero's Quest
by IAMJerry262
Summary: A lost island...a new team of Toa...A villian bent on revenge. Witness the story of the TOA ALPHATA.
1. Prologue

DISCLAMER: I do not own the bionicle universe or its related charectors, events, etc. Chances are if you haven't heard of a character before now, it's mine. Enjoy!

Bionicle Epics

**Book One**

**A Hero's Quest**

**Written by Alec Marshall**

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my family, my friends, especially Jake and Grant, and all those who read this and supported me. To the wonderful staff of the LEGO Company, especially Greg Farshtey. And a special thanks to all of the Bionicle contest winners for their awesome characters who helped build this story line.

Prologue

In a time before time, 100,000 years before the coming of the Toa Mata to Mata Nui, the Great Beings created the known universe, and all who dwelled in it. Among their creations were the Matoran, who sole destiny was to fulfill the Great Spirits needs and desires. After many Matoran had lost their lives to various causes, the Great Spirits created the Makuta, who were to protect the Matoran, along with the Hand of Artakha (later formed as the Order of Mata Nui). But the Hand did not suit the Great Spirits plan, so he began to create Toa, guardians of the Matoran who would defend them no matter the cost. Sensing treachery among the Brother of Makuta, Mata Nui created in secret, the Toa Alphata, the first Toa team to represent the six elements of the Matoran; Fire, Earth, Air, Stone, Water and Ice. With this new team formed, he sent them to an island far off in the north, called Mytha Nui, and told them they were going to be awakened when the island needed them most.

It is now 40,000 years later on the island of Mytha Nui, where the Toa were placed. The Matoran sent with the Toa hid them are all living happily, though all have completely forgotten about the Toa Alphata (all had their memories erased by Mata Nui so that Makuta could not destroy the Alphata before their mission was complete.) The islands inhabitants are busy, working, playing and fending off unwanted Rahi. All except one. His name is Darran, a Matoran from the fire village of Ta-Mytha. He is not hard at work repairing lava channels, or even surfing down them on his break. He is running for his life in a place where no Matoran has ever entered, and left, alive.


	2. Chapter One: The Beginnings of Betrayal

Chapter One

The Beginnings of Betrayal

Darran was running for his life. What he was running from, he had no idea. All he knew was he needed to get away, and get away fast. His Turaga had warned him about the dangers of the land know as Karzaki, or The Forbidden Land, on the island of Mytha Nui. It had been entered by many Matoran before, and no living Matoran had entered it and left alive. Now Darran was about to join them.

He continued to run, leaping over rocks and fallen trees, weaving between volcanic vents that spewed hot gases, he even side stepped a dead Nui-Rama laying on the ground. He knew if he could reach the edge of Karzaki, he would be safe. For whatever reason, no beast had wandered past its borders. Matoran scholars had puzzled this question for centuries, but with no success.

A jet of flame shot past Darran, but he kept running. Another just missed as it flew inches above his head. _Come on, _he thought desperately, _Where's the border?_ Another jet of flame rushed past the side of his head. He could feel the heat searing his face and shoulder, even thought they both protected by armor. _Come on, where is it! _Then he saw it through the dense fog. A forest of trees had appeared in the distance.

His legs were on fire, his lungs ached and he had a terrible stitch in his chest, but he continued to run at top speed. He was getting closer. Twenty feet away…Ten feet. He could hear the beast chasing him getting closer. He put on a burst of speed, and dove behind a fallen log in the dense forest ahead of him.

A jet of flame hit the log where had been seconds before. The creature chasing him gave a screech of rage. As it slowly disappeared back into the fog, Darran poked his head over the top of the log to get a good look at his pursuer. It was relatively small, around a foot over Darran. It had a massive domed head and four, short powerful limbs. It walked on two legs and on its hand it carried a kind of shield.

He watched the beast disappear into the fog. When he was sure the thing had vanished, he let out a huge sigh of relief. His side ached and his legs still felt like they were on fire, but he was alive. He sat there, breathing hard for a long time. Turaga Valmek was right. Karzaki held dangers beyond any Matoran's worst nightmare. His Turaga had never been to the Forbidden Land before, but he had never been there himself. _I wonder why? _Thought Darran sarcastically.

"Darran! Oh thank the Great Beings! Darran you alive!"

Darran turned to see a blue Matoran running toward him. Darran recognized her immediately as Ralara, his best friend on the island.

"What's wrong Ralara?" he asked. She grabbed him in huge bear hug. She was sobbing uncontrollably.

"They said you disappeared into Karzaki, and that you hadn't returned! I've been running all over the island looking for you and now…"

"Wait, wait, wait, who said I had disappeared?" He said, breaking apart so he could face her.

"Um, it was Redaro. He came running into Ga-Mytha screaming 'He's gone into Karzaki! Darran's gone into Karzaki!'"

"Well that's not surprising," said Darran "You know that Redaro hates me and he's always looking to cause chaos. Throwing Karzaki into the mix just completed the hat trick for him."

"Yeah, I thought that too, but I got a gut feeling that he was right, so I went to your house. When you weren't there I asked if you had checked in at work, but Tarak said you had left. So then I went to your usual surfing spot. When you weren't there, I began to panic. I was just running back to Ga-Mytha to ask Turaga Valmek if we could put together a search party when I saw you laying here."

The two sat next to the fallen tree in silence after these words. Darran was amazed at how much trouble Ralara had gone trough to try and find him. He was glad that she had cared enough about him to try and organize a search party to try and find him. He smiled at her and she gave him a quizzical look.

"What?" she asked.

Darran began to chuckle.

"What is it?"

Darran was now laughing.

"Come on, what's so funny?"

"You," managed Darran through fits of laughter, "Leading a search a party!"

Ralara took it first as an insult, but soon was laughing along with Darran. The two laughed for a while. Finally, Darran stopped and looked at her.

"Come on, I want to show you something." He said, standing up. Darran helped Ralara to her feet.

"We can go to my house, it's closest." And with that the two set of for Ga-Mytha. After a few minutes of walking, they reached a large hill on the edge of Le-Mytha. They climbed up the hill, and looked down on the city of Ga-Mytha.

Ga-Mytha was a large, sandy delta that stretched out into the Bay of Karzaki. Hundreds of small palm tree and sand houses dotted the delta. In the middle stood a large citadel, made of palms trees and coated with a thick layer of sand and mud that had hardened into rock hard stone over the years. This was the home of the Mytha's Kohli field and Turaga Valmek. A large banner displaying the Great Spirit, Mata Nui's symbol could be seen draped on the side facing into the main land.

Out in the bay, Darran could see little blue specks riding wave and swimming in the water. A large fishing boat could also be seen in the far distance. Darran strained his eyes. Out past the fishing boat he could make out the foggy landscape of Karzaki's twin peninsulas.

As they walked through the village, Matoran around them began to whisper and point at them. Ralara noticed that some of them were giving them rude and hateful looks. Darran was also looking at the Matoran, but could care less about what faces they were making at them. They walked on passing by market stalls and Ga-Matoran houses.

_Where is he? _Thought Darran. He was beginning to think that maybe Redaro had gone back to Onu-Mytha. Then he spotted him. A lone Onu-Matoran standing with a bunch excited looking Ga-Matoran. He appeared to have just gotten their attention and was waiting for others to join the spectacle.

"Ok, here's what I'm going to show you." He whispered to Ralara. She gave him a confused look. They were still blocks away from her house, why would he show her something in the middle of the town square? He continued to whisper to. Her face went form being confused, to interest and finally a mischievous smile. When Darran was done he crouched behind a barrel of sea weed the Matoran used for paper and rope. Ralara waited next to him. Although Darran was a good ten feet away, Redaro's voice carried so well, he might as well have been standing right next to him.

"I saw him, standing there on the edge of Karzaki. My first reaction was to go up and say hi…"

Darran muffled a snort of disgusted. Redaro wanting to say "Hi" to him. What a joke. Unfortunately, the Ga-Matoran made no reaction at all.

"But then he looked around as if he was making sure no body was watching him. I immediately ducked behind a tree and watched from there. He stood there for a moment then started to walk into the fog. I ran after him, but I was too late. He had disappeared into Karzaki. I called out to him, but he didn't respond. So I ran here to inform the Turaga, but he dismissed me. So I guess we will never see Darran again." Finished Redaro, rather weakly. Darran muffled another snort of disgust. At this Ralara left and began walking up to Redaro's group.

Redaro was still talking about Darran to the other Ga-Matoran when he heard someone crying. He looked around and saw Ralara coming towards their group. Immediately forgetting about the other Ga-Matoran, he strode up to Ralara.

"What's wrong Ralara?" he asked her.

"Turaga Valmek just …told me…"she sobbed.

"Told you what?" he asked, trying to make eye contact.

"Told me that…" she choked, "That Darran's…. he's …dead." She burst into a fresh wave of sobs.

"Ralara, it's ok. I am sure Darran just got lost, he'll be back an minute now. Come on, I'll take you home." He began to lead Ralara away when Darran stepped out from behind the barrel.

"Guess what Redaro? I'm back!" he called out to him. Redaro froze. His whole body had become ridged. If someone would have nudged him, he would have fallen over, stiff as a statue. Ralara on the other hand, turned quickly around. She ran at Darran crying, "Darran your alive!"

Redaro slowly turned around. Darran smiled as the expression on Redaro's face seemed to be eternally fixed on his mask, like it was craved from stone rather than protodermis.

"Funny you would tell Ralara that I am ok. Just a few seconds ago I heard you telling them," he motioned to the other Ga-Matoran, "That I was dead."

Redaro was still unable to speak. His face was frozen in amazement. He finally regained the ability to speak. Also like the rock his face appeared to be made out of, his face moved slowly and ruggedly.

"How did you survive?" he asked slowly.

"I ran for my life." Said Darran plainly, "But that's not important. What is important is why you feel the need to spread rumors to the whole island about me, Redaro."

Redaro stood motionless for a while. He couldn't think of a comeback.

"Because," he said slowly, "I watched you enter Karzaki. I heard you scream! What else was I supposed to think?" he began to speak quicker and with more anger.

"Well then, can you tell me why you told Ralara that I was going to be ok?"

"Because…because," he stammered. "Because she was distressed. I didn't want to upset her anymore. That's all."

"Well, if you wouldn't have told people I was dead in the first place, she wouldn't have gotten upset, now would have she?" he said as if he was talking to a particularly dumb Rahi.

"Well I am sorry for alerting the island of your disappearance. Next time, I will wait until I am sure you're dead to tell everyone." He replied sarcastically.

"You know what I think, Redaro?" Darran asked.

"What do you think, Darran? Oh wait I forgot. You don't think. That's why you wondered into Karzaki in the first place." There were a few chuckles at his remark. Darran took no notice of this and plowed on.

"I think that you wanted me to be dead. And another thing, if your really care about me, wouldn't have you stopped me from entering the Forbidden Land in the first place?"

He had said it. Redaro opened his mouth to retort, but could come up with nothing. He closed his mouth, a grim expression spreading over his face.

"You know what, I don't care anymore. I am going home, and both of you are forbidden to enter Onu-Mytha ever again." And with these final words stormed away.

"What's all the noise about?" called an elderly voice from behind them. Turaga Valmek was walking up the street towards the spectacle. He stopped and looked into Darran's eyes.

"Redaro's been spreading falsetruths, Turaga." Piped up a Le-Matoran.

"Really?" said Valmek, looking at the Le-Matoran. He nodded and motioned to Darran and Ralara.

"They were having a loudshout match just now." He explained.

"Thank you, Jakuta." He said turning back to Darran. "Is this true Darran, or is this more falsetruths?" he joked. Darran nodded.

"Dear me," said Valmek. "How will you ever learn about the other virtues if you can't learn the most important one, Darran? Unity! All things begin with Unity!"

"I have tried, Turaga, but Redaro also needs to try as well." He pointed out.

"You're quite right." Laughed Valmek. "I will see to him personally, now go on. All of you, it's getting late." And with that he headed back to the citadel.

Darran and Ralara turned and headed for Ralara's house, discussing the argument along the way.

Redaro, on the other hand was not heading home. He was instead heading for a hill that overlooked Ralara's house. He was going to wait until Darran would leave, and then attack him on his way home. His mind was burning with questions as he walked towards his destination. How had Darran survived Karzaki, when so many others had fallen? Had he just crossed the border and waited for Redaro to leave? Or had he really been attacked, and by the will of the Great Sprit, been able to get away? Or was this all just some sick payback joke for when Redaro had flipped out at Darran for destroying his prized Ussal barn?

While he had been asking all these questions, he had some up with one answer. Whatever the reason, Darran was trying to get back at him getting mad at him.

_Well, two can play at that game. _Redaro thought as he settled on the hill over looking Ralara's house.

Darran and Ralara had arrived at Ralara's house a while before sunset. Ralara's house was made of sand, and was built by drying large blocks of sand and mud and stacking them on top of each other, using more mud to keep them together. He remembered helping her build this house after her old one had been destroyed by a hurricane that had stuck Mytha Nui just last year. The two entered the house and closed the palm tree door behind them. Darran walked over to the couch and spread himself out on it. Ralara meanwhile, waked over to the hearth and lit a fire. After a few seconds, she had a roaring fire in the hearth.

"So," she said, grabbing a chair from her small table and placing it in front of Darran and sitting down in it, "What's this thing you wanted to show me?"

"Well I didn't really wander into Karzaki by accident." He began sitting up and turning to face her. "I found this," he said, pulling out an ancient looking tablet from his pack, "In a cave by Mount Sekamu. It took ages to translate, but I finally managed to get the whole thing translated." He pointed at his own writing below the actual writing. Ralara took it and began to read out loud.

"In Karzaki's heart,

A treasure waits.

One that will save the island,

From a terrible fate.

It sits alone,

Among the beasts.

It waits for rescue,

By only a hero's feats."

At this she gave Darran a smile.

"So you're a hero, now are you?" she said.

"Just finished reading." He told her, somewhat embarrassed.

She continued to read.

"The only hope,

Comes from Him.

Call upon the heroes

From deep within.

"They hold the key,

That can defeat evil.

Find them and you'll have,

Protection that won't leave you."

She finished and looked at Darran. He looked back, as if looking for reassurance.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked her hopefully.

"Well," she said putting down the tablet and looking at Darran in a very business like way, "It appears that there is some kind of treasure here that will call upon hero's from Mata Nui. That must be why "Him" is written different." She pointed to the original script on the tablet.

"Yeah I figured that much." He told her. "What I don't get is the part about calling the heroes from deep within."

"Yes that confused me a little as well she said, picking up the tablet again and looking at the translation. "Deep from within where? The mountains? The Bay of Glass? The sea?"

"I think that it might be more metaphorical." He said. "Not from deep within the ground, but from deep within ourselves."

"Really?" asked Ralara.

"Yeah." he said.

"Darran, you think that someone will tell us about a threat if we were going to just protect ourselves anyway? Besides the scripture refers to heroes form Mata Nui, so it must mean that other beings would be coming."

"Yeah I guess your right." He said lamely.

"Well, did you find this treasure when you went into Karzaki?" she asked, trying to boost his spirit.

"Well, I don't know about a treasure, but I did find this in a cave guarded by a weird creature." He said pulling out a cylindrical object wrapped in parchment. He handed it to her. She found that it was very light, despite its somewhat large size.

"Do you know what it is?" she asked, holding it up above her head to get a better look at it.

"No, I haven't had a chance yet. That's why I wanted to show you first."

"Do you think we should try and take off this parchment?" she asked.

"Yeah, just be really careful. Try and find a seam if you can." Said Darran.

Ralara looked over the object carefully. From what she could see, there was no seam at all. After several minutes, she placed it on her hand and began rotating it slowly. When she didn't find anything, she flipped it and began rolling it the other way. About ¾ of the way, she stopped, grabbing a small seam. She took it over to her table. Darran got up and followed her. Very carefully, Ralara began sliding both her hands down the sides of the cylinder. When she reached the end, she gave a gentle tug and the parchment fell away.

Sitting in the middle of the parchment was a large, glowing, golden stone.


	3. Chapter Two: Arrival and Escape

Chapter Two

Arrival and Escape

The wind howled and the sea pitched as Hirakat's boat battled towards its unknown destination. Hirakat was a member of the Brotherhood of Makuta, and one of the youngest in the organization. He was somewhat short, and very bulky, with black and dark red armor. His mask was small and oval shaped, nothing to fancy about it. He had been sent on a mission to a new island in the far north of the universe to set up a base there. He was now just realizing why the Brotherhood had chosen him, rather then a more experienced member. This mission wasn't really about expanding the Brotherhood's empire; this was mission to kill him.

A large wave smacked the side of his boat and he was almost thrown off the side. Hirakat's mind was racing. He couldn't brave this storm; it was way to strong for his boat. He would have a better chance swimming to the shore, then trying to survive it on his craft. He walked to the front of the shipped and prepared to jump into the pitch-black sea. He lifted his head and saw it. The most recent flash of lighting had light up a dark outline of a landmass in the distance. His heart began to race. He couldn't give up now. The island was only a few miles away, if he could just survive this storm, he could make it.

With his newfound hope, he ran around the ship dong everything so that he could continue going towards the island. He began tightening sails and locking the wheel. When everything was ready, he headed down below the deck and began to wait.

The gales force winds outside were howling even worse now. The wind was seeping through every little crack in the ships sides. The waves were now beginning to pitch higher and higher. The rain was coming down in barrels, soaking Hirakat, despite the fact he was below deck. If Hirakat weren't trained for these kinds of situations, he would have been going back to up to the deck and jumping off right now.

The wind was now blowing more ferociously, and the rain was coming down so hard, it felt like a solid stream of water. When it seamed like the sky was going to split into two and the sea was going to explode…it stopped.

Hirakat got up slowly. He walked over to the ladder and began to climb up it. As he reached the deck and looked out at the ocean he gasped. The water was now smooth as glass. It looked as if he were sailing on a sea of oil, rather then water. He looked up at the sky. Thousands of millions of stars were glinting down at him. It looked as if a great blanket had been draped across the sun, and it was shining through all of the holes in it. He looked for the moon, and saw it floating over the island on the horizon, like a giant beacon leading him towards the island.

Hirakat walked up to the ships wheel and directed towards the landmass. He began to think of how to get revenge on Makuta and the rest of his Brotherhood. Images of him sitting on Makuta's throne and ordering his least favorite member around gave him a spirit lift as he sailed onward.

The ship grounded on one of the twin peninsulas of the island. Hirakat got out and began to unpack his ship. It was time for revenge, and this island was going to be in for a wake up call.

* * *

Darran and Ralara were in shock. The golden stone was now lying in the middle of the parchment, pulsating as if it were a heart light.

"Look, there's something on the parchment." said Ralara.

Darran managed to tear his eyes from the stone to look at the parchment. His heart sank. The whole parchment was covered with strange symbols and complex drawings.

_It going to take ages to translate this. _Thought Darran.

"Well so much for saving to island." He said out loud, "I can't make heads or tails of this."

"Well, it would help if you were looking at the heads side, Darran." Ralara said, flipping the parchment over. Darran looked at the parchment again. Instantly, the writing became clear. He turned to look at the drawings, which turned out to be detailed maps of all of the Mythas. He turned back to the scriptures. Even with them face up, they were still going to take a long time to translate. Both he and Ralara studied them for a while. After a few minutes, Darran gave up.

"It's getting late, I should be heading back home." Yawned Darran.

"Ok, I'll see you later. I am going to stay up and work on these translations."

"Don't stay up all night!" Darran called, as he walked into the night.

* * *

Redaro watched from the hill over looking Ralara's house, like a hawk searching for it's prey. He was trying no to blink, just in case he missed something. A shifting shadow, the fire going out, anything that might give him a clue to what was going on inside. Shortly after he began watching, a figure emerged from the house. It appeared tired and groggy as it walked away from the house.

"I'll get him this time." He whispered to himself.

"I think I can help you with that." Said a voice behind him. Redaro whipped around. A large bulky figure was standing behind him. He had red and black armor, with a relatively small, round mask.

"Who are you?" he asked, preparing himself to flee.

"My name is Hirakat. I am a member of the Brotherhood of Makuta."

"Why would a Brotherhood member want to help me?"

"Because, I can help you get back at others that have betrayed you."

"What do you mean?" he asked. This stranger wasn't making any sense.

"I was sent here, to die. Makuta wanted me out of the way and he thought I wouldn't be able to make it to this island. I'm planning to get revenge on him, but I will need help in order to do it."

"How can I help you? I am just a Matoran." He was starting to trust Hirakat less and less.

"I can make you more then a Matoran." Redaro now lost all confidence in this newcomer. He continued however, as if he could see the Matoran's reaction. "I have a special power that even Makuta dose not know about. I can increase the power levels in other beings, even to the point where they can transform. I can do this to you, if you chose to help me in return." His voice sounded sly, but for some reason, Redaro couldn't walk away.

"How do I know that you are trying to trick me?"

Hirakat seemed to ponder this question for a while. After a moment of thinking, he began to look around. Finding what he was looking for, he bent down and picked it up. It was a long narrow stick. Redaro was now completely confused.

"Break this in half for me." said Hirakat, holding it out to Redaro. Redaro took it and broke it easily with his hands.

"Now give me one half." He said, holding out his hand.

Redaro placed one of the halves on Hirakat's out stretched palm. With his other hand, Hirakat withdrew a large clawed spear. He raised it up level with his other hand. At first, nothing happened. Then the stick began to tremble and glow. The stick was now shaking and writhing violently on Hirakat's hand. It was now glowing so brightly, Redaro could barley look at it. Then the stick began to settle, and the light faded. Redaro turned to look at it. It looked exactly the same. What ever Hirakat was trying to do, he must have failed.

"Here," he said, breathing hard, "Try and break this for me."

Redaro took the Hirakat's half and tried to bend it. It would not bend. He pushed with all his strength, and still the stick had not broken. He raised the stick high over his head and brought it down onto his knee.

WHACK!

The stick hit his knee, sending a sharp pain up his leg.

"Owww!" he cried, hopping up and down.

"Now do you believe me?" asked Hirakat, smiling somewhat.

"No where's the other half?" the said looking around on the ground. He found it and broke it easily between his fingers. He looked back at Hirakat.

"You see, the twig is a very simple object, so there's not much you can do to increase its power. More complex things, however, offer a more selective power into how they transform."

"How will I transform?" asked Redaro quietly.

"I don't know. It depends on your personality. You may become super powerful, or you might inherit wisdom beyond that of the Great Beings. There's really no way to tell for sure."

Redaro pondered these words carefully. He had seen what Hirakat could do to a simple stick. Imagine what he could do to him, but soon that thought worked against him What if he was horribly mutated from the exposure? What if there was no way to change back?

"If I am transformed, could I be turned back into a Matoran?"

"No I am sorry, my transformations are permanent, but no has ever been badly disfigured. Once you have been transformed, you will be that way forever."

Redaro thought hard. Could he trust Hirakat? After all he was Brotherhood member, but he felt sorry for him. Both of them had been shunned from they fellows, and both were seeking revenge. If he joined Hirakat, not only could he punish the other Matoran, but he could also rule Mytha Nui. And with the power he could gain from Hirakat, he might even become more powerful then him, and be able to over throw him when they had seized control over the island. He turned to Hirakat.

"I will join you, Hirakat, but only if I get control of Mytha Nui after we defeat Makuta."

"Agreed." He said, holding out his fist. Redaro clanked his own with Hirakat's. "My base is located over there." He said pointing out into Karzaki. Redaro shudder, but the thought of his transformation kept him from saying no. "Don't worry; you'll be safe with me." At this, Redaro nodded, and the two towards Karzaki.

Author's Note: The land of Karzaki is not to be confused with the land of Karzanhi, the Matoran place of suffering. If you go to .com and search for Tahu77756, you can see my models for the Toa and island there. Chapter II coming soon!


	4. Chapter Three: The Source of Protection

Chapter Three

The Source of Protection

Darran had just woken up well after dawn broke. Normally he would have been at work already. He had become extremely tired from last night, and had decided to sleep in. the lava channel at his feet kept him warm. He was so glad that he had it, other wise he would probably freeze at night. He was just beginning to drift off into sleep when he felt his foot get hot. He jumped to feet yelling

"Ouch!" he yelled, looking down at his foot. Lava had bubbled up in the channel and one of them had pooped, sending a blob of the molten rock on to his foot. He clutched it hopping up and down around the room. He sat down in his chair and began fanning his foot with a piece of parchment. When the pain had receded, he looked around his room.

Sunlight filtered through a small circular window onto an ashen floor. The room was a small round hut, built from cooled lava. Next to him, there was a large cushion that served as his bed. Next to that, a lava channel flowed into his hut, providing it with heat. He walked over to the wall behind his bed and slid a protodermis dam into the flow of the lava. Soon the lava began to empty out of the channel, and the room began to cool.

He looked down at his desk where he had spent the majority of the other night at. Scrolls, tablets, charcoal, a hammer and chisel littered the surface, while a small tablet with a mask stood on one of the desk's back corners.

He looked across to the other side of the room. Two large shelves were placed there. One was holding several bula berry fruits, while the other was filled to the top with scrolls and clear tablets. A kohli stick and pads were propped against the wall next to the scroll shelf, along with a lava board and his other work tools.

Now feeling wide awake, he walked over to the window and gazed out it. The sky was clear today, but there was no wind at all. Normally the local volcano, Mount Sekamu, would be covering the sky in a massive ash cloud. These ash clouds blocked the sun and cooled the surrounding lands. However, strong winds had been know to blow these clouds away, but today there was no trace of even a breeze.

A knock on his door made him forget all about the weather. He walked over and opened it to see a very tired, but at the same time wide awake Ralara. Darran gave her a displeasing look.

"I finished the translations." She said breathing hard.

"I told you not to stay up all night." He said

"It only took me a little while to finish, but after I did, I couldn't fall asleep."

Darran let her inside. Ralara collapsed into his chair, while he went over and grabbed two fruits off their shelf. He walked back over and handed on to Ralara.

"Thanks." She said, and began to drain the energy. When she had finished, she looked much better and turned back to Darran.

"What did the scripture say?" asked Darran.

"Well this is what I was able to translate." She said withdrawing a tablet and handing it to Darran, who read the scripture aloud.

"To find the hero's,

That you will need,

Journey to the place,

Of fire and heat.

Go to the mountain,

That breaths fire and ash.

For it's life giving flame,

Is the hero's first task.

That source of life,

That feeds this land

Will soon become

The hero's first stand."

"What does it mean?" asked Darran, looking up at her.

"That's what I was trying to figure out. It's definitely talking about a volcano, but which one? There are so many around the island. It could be anyone."

"Well, it says that it 'Will soon become the hero's first stand.' So that probably means it going to be a big threat. But if we wait till then, it would be too late."

The two sat in silence for a moment. Both were trying to think of a volcano that would threaten the whole island, when there was a knock at the door. Darran got up and answered it. His boss, Tarak was standing there.

"Where have you been? You need to come and see the volcano. Its stopped its lava production!"

"What? How could it stop producing lava?"

"I don't know. I have never seen anything like it before. You need to come down and see it right away."

Darran turned back to Ralara.

"I've got to go. You can stay here if you want." he said, gabbing his tools and lava board.

"I'm coming with you." She said, putting the tablet away.

They began to walk out the door, when Ralara stopped.

"Darran, the mountain the scripture talked about. It's Mount Sekamu!" The revelation hit Darran like a blow to the gut.

"You mean..." he trailed off. She nodded. Darran turned around. Mount Sekamu, it all made since now. He looked up at Tarak. He looked completely lost.

"We'll explain on the way," he said. "Come on! We need to get there as soon as possible." He cried, and with that, the group began speeding toward the volcano.

About ten minutes later, the group reached the volcano. All around Matoran of all Mythas were gather. Most were talking in low voices. Tarak lead them over to a space right in the center of the volcano. Darran had not set his eyes on a more depressing sight.

The volcano, which was normally over flowing with lava, was now empty. The many channels that had been craved into its side were as dry as Po-Mytha. Normally, these would have been filled with heat bearing lava, that has used to heat Ta-Matoran homes, but there was no trace that the great mountain before him had once been an unpredictable roaring volcano. He was snapped from his mourning when he heard a Matoran cry out. Though he had not heard what he had said, he turned around

The entire assembly of Matoran turned around to see several dark shapes moving toward the volcano. Darran strained his eyes to see what they were. As they moved closer, he could make out Matoran riding them. The creatures flew closer and Darran could make see that they were some kind of bird. The group was right over the assembled Matoran now. They flew towards the volcano and made a u-turn, coming back towards the congregation. They landed and quickly began dismounting their birds. Darran noticed that Turaga Valmek was one of the flyers. One of the pilots rushed up to their group. He was slightly taller then Darran with a dark green mask and armor.

"Who is in charge here?" he asked.

"I am." Said Tarak, raising his hand.

"The Turaga wants to speak with you. Follow me." He said. Tarak, Darran and Ralara began to follow him. When the pilot saw this he stopped.

"The Turaga asked only the person in charge to come and see him" he said to Darran and Ralara.

"We also need to see the Turaga." Said Ralara urgently.

"It's alright, they know more about what's going on then I do." Said Tarak.

The pilot shrugged, and led the group on without another word. They reached the Turaga, who was talking with a Ga-Matoran. They finished, and the Matoran ran off towards the mountain. The pilot spoke to the Turaga.

"Here are the Matoran you asked for, Turaga." He said to him.

"Thank you, Pirato." Said Valmek. Pirato gave a curt nod, and walked away from the group. Valmek turned toward Darran, Ralara and Darran.

"What have you discovered, Tarak?" he asked, leaning on his staff.

"Well, it was really Darran and Ralara who figured out what going on." He said. At this, he turned his gaze to them.

"Turaga, the day I went into Karzaki, I was searching for an artifact this old tablet mentioned I have found near the volcano here. I found this stone wrapped in parchment in a cave. I brought tit back to Ralara's house and she translated it."

"May I see these scriptures?" he asked. Darran and Ralara gave the Darran's original tablet and Ralara's translation tablet to Turaga Valmek. He read them over, muttering from time to time. When he was finished, he gave both of the scriptures back to them.

"Where is this stone, Darran?"

"I have it right here." he said.

"May I see it?" he asked softly. Darran withdrew the stone and handed it to Turaga Valmek. He examined it with a trained eye, going over every detail of it. Then there was a look of amazement on his face.

"Then it has happened." He whispered to himself.

"What has happened, Turaga?" asked Ralara.

"This stone, you found it in Karzaki, correct?" he said to Darran.

"Yes," replied Darran, "It was in a cave guarded by a strange Rahi I had never seen before." Turaga Valmek nodded.

"Years ago, when I was a Toa, I was asked to lead the people here on this island as a Turaga by Mata Nui. I of course, said yes. Mata Nui warned me that 'new shadows' would emerge on Mytha Nui, threatening to take it over. He said that the first sign of their coming was the appearance of a stone. This of course made no sense to me, but I trusted the Great Spirit. He also told me that the 'guardians of light' would be found in 'the place needed most.' Again I did not understand, but now, everything is becoming clear. These heroes the scriptures speak of are hidden in Mount Sekamu. And now that there is no lava, we have a chance to awaken them."

"Are you certain that's where they hidden?" asked Darran looking back at the Mount Sekamu.

"Mount Sekamu is the place that keeps Ta-Mytha inhabitable. Without, no Matoran would be able to live here."

"So then how are we going to get in to the volcano?' asked Ralara.

"We could climb down." Suggested Darran.

"No, that would be too risky. We have now way to do it for one, and second we don't know when that things going to erupt."

"May I suggest a thoughtplan?" asked Pirato.

"What's your idea Pirato?" asked Ralara.

"Well, it could be very dangerous, but it's the only thoughtplan I think that will work. I suggest we highfly my Gukko squad into the firemountian. That way when we find the heroes, we can escape everquick."

The Matoran nodded in agreement with this idea. Turaga Valmek did not respond, however. He continued to stare at the ground, apparently deep in thought.

"What do you think Turaga?" Asked Ralara.

"The heroes must be awakened. I see no other option." He looked up at the Matoran. When he spoke, his voice was very commanding "Pirato, you get the Gukko birds ready. Tarak, I want you to take Darran and Ralara down into the mountain. You know it better then any other Matoran here." The Matoran nodded. Turaga Valmek spoke again, but this time his voice was oft and caring. "Be careful. Remember the Three Virtues, and may the Great Spirit watch over you."

"We will, Turaga." Said Ralara, her usual smile fading. And with that, the Matoran took off for the Gukko birds. Turaga Valmek watched as the Matoran headed off, wondering if he had done the right thing.


End file.
